Model year record

2008 Toyota Corolla Matrix recalls & problems

The 2008 Toyota Corolla Matrix has 4 safety recalls and 31 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is air bags (23 complaints).

Recalls4safety recalls

Complaints31filed by owners

Crashes · fires3 · 0reported in complaints

Injuries · deaths1 · 0reported in complaints

Safety recalls

Air bagsAug 28, 2019

Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

Recall 19V627000229,460 vehicles

Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2003-2008 Corolla, 2005-2008 Corolla Matrix, and Pontiac Vibe vehicles equipped with a front passenger air bag assembly replaced under a prior recall. The air bag may not unfold as designed during inflation under high temperature conditions, possibly resulting in the air bag not inflating properly.
Risk: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag assembly or sub-assembly, free of charge. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are K1Q and K0Q. Pontiac owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is N192273760.

Air bagsJan 9, 2018

Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

Recall 18V025000116,126 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (ODI)

Problem: On January 9, 2018, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified NHTSA that they are recalling 14,585 model year 2010-2012 Yaris vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. As of January 30, 2018, Toyota is additionally recalling 3,347 model year 2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles located in states listed above. Also included in this recall filing is 98,194 model year 2003-2008 Toyota Corolla Matrix vehicles, located throughout the U.S., that previously received a Âlike-for-likeÂ interim air bag inflator replacement. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag assemblies with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 29, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are G0R (Zone B), and H0A (Zone C), J0A (Matrix Zone A), J0A (Matrix Zone A), J0A (Matrix Zone A).

Air bagsMar 3, 2016

Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

Recall 16V127000147,242 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (ODI)

Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Lexus SC vehicles manufactured August 3, 2007, to July 30, 2010, 2008 Toyota Corolla vehicles manufactured May 25, 2007, to December 21, 2007, 2008 Toyota Corolla Matrix vehicles manufactured June 1, 2007, to December 18, 2007, and 2008 Pontiac Vibe vehicles manufactured June 1, 2007, to January 2, 2008. This is to address a safety defect in the passenger side frontal air bag inflator which may produce excessive internal pressure causing the inflator to rupture upon deployment of the air bag. This recall addresses both the passenger side frontal air bags that were originally installed in the vehicles, as well as replacement air bags that may have been installed as replacement service parts. A replacement air bag may have been installed, as one example, if a vehicle had been in a crash necessitating the replacement of the passenger side frontal air bag.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: The recall began on March 25, 2016 for Toyota and Lexus vehicle owners. The recall began on June 23, 2016 for GM owners. The respective dealers will either replace the front passenger air bag inflator or the entire front passenger air bag assembly depending on the model. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. This recall expands recall 15V-285.

Air bagsMar 2, 2016

Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

Recall 16V12800071,163 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (ODI)

Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Lexus SC vehicles manufactured August 3, 2007, to July 30, 2010, 2008 Toyota Corolla vehicles manufactured June 1, 2007, to December 21, 2007, 2008 Toyota Corolla Matrix vehicles manufactured June 1, 2007, to December 18, 2007, and 2008 Pontiac Vibe vehicles manufactured June 1, 2007, to January 2, 2008 that were originally sold, or ever registered, in Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The affected vehicles have a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: The recall began on March 25, 2016 for Toyota and Lexus vehicle owners. The recall began on June 8, 2016 for GM owners. The respective dealers will either replace the front passenger air bag inflator or the entire front passenger air bag assembly depending on the model. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. This recall expands recall 15V-286.

Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.

What owners report

Problem area	Complaints	Crashes	Injuries	Typical mileage*
Air bags	23	3	1	102,000 mi
Electrical system	3	1	0	—
Engine	3	0	0	—
StructureFrame and members › Underbody shields; Body	2	1	0	—
Service brakes, hydraulic	1	0	0	—
Fuel system, gasoline	1	0	0	—
Visibility/wiper	1	0	0	—
Vehicle speed control	1	0	0	—
Fuel/propulsion system	1	0	0	—
Service brakes	1	1	0	—
Unknown or other	1	0	0	—

*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.

Recent owner complaints

Unknown or other
The seller of this vehicle rolled back the odometer to 135,000 when the carfax reports in April of 2024 the car was at 200,000 miles
Dec 13, 2024
Air bags
Unable to get remedy in a timely manner for air bag recall. Part has been unavailable for over a month and dealer has delayed ordering of part by two weeks. Dealer providing recall service is IRA Toyota of Danvers in Massachusetts
Dec 6, 2022
Air bagsCrash
SOMEONE PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF ME AND I HIT THEM WITH THE FRONT OF MY CAR. I WAS DRIVING 40 MILES AN HOUR ON A CITY STREET. IT CRASHED IN THE FRONT END, RADIATOR, FENDERS AND HOOD. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I HAD BEEN SENT A RECALL NOTICE AND SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT AT A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER IMMEDIATELY. THE CRASH HAPPENED TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE MANUFACTURER. NHTSA RECALL NO. 19V-627
Dec 18, 2020 · 184,000 miles
Air bags
MY 2008 TOYOTA MATRIX WAS UNDER RECALL SINCE I WAS NOTIFIED IN OCTOBER 2019. AT THAT TIME I WAS TOLD THAT MY CAR WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AND I WAS PROVIDED WITH A RENTAL CAR. MY CAR WAS REPAIRED WITH THE TOYOTA AIR BAG REMEDY ON JUNE 11, 2020 BUT IT SEEMS THAT THE REMEDY HAS CAUSED THE COVER TO POP UP AND A CREASE IS FORMING ACROSS THE MIDDLE OF THE AIRBAG COVER. ALSO, THE PASSENGER AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT SAYS OFF WHEN A PASSENGER SEAT IS OCCUPIED. THE PASSENGER INDICATOR LIGHT WORKED PROPERLY WHEN I LAST DROVE MY CAR IN OCTOBER OF 2019. *TR
Jun 11, 2020 · 223,000 miles
Air bags
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA COROLLA MATRIX. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V627000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. TOYOTA OF GREER (13770 E WADE HAMPTON BLVD, GREER, SC 29651) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND CONFIRMED THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
Sep 1, 2019
Air bags
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA COROLLA MATRIX. THE CONTACT WAS ALERTED THROUGH EMISSIONS THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V627000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA AND THE VIN TOOL CONFIRMED THE VIN WAS INCLUDED. HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER NOR THE DEALER WERE MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
Nov 15, 2019
Air bags
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA COROLLA MATRIX. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V627000 (AIR BAGS), HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. KOONS ARLINGTON TOYOTA LOCATED AT (4045 LEE HWY, ARLINGTON, VA 22207, (703) 522-6000) WAS CONTACTED AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE REMEDY PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
Aug 19, 2019
Air bags
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA MATRIX. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V627000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CONTACTED FLORENCE TOYOTA 2300 W PALMETTO ST, FLORENCE, SC 29501 AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
Sep 1, 2019

Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.

NHTSA defect investigations

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpen
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled…
EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021
Engine StallClosedLed to recall 10V384000
On August 26, 2010, Toyota submitted a Defect Information Report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding problems with Engine Control Modules that could result in engine stall while driving in certain model year (MY) 2005 through 2008 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix and Pontiac Vibe vehicles equipped with the 1ZZ-FE engine and two-wheel drive and manufactured between April 19, 2004 and January 2, 2008.Toyota's report indicated that cracks may develop at certain solder point or on varistors on the ECMs.According to Toyota, such cracks generally resulted in engine warning lamp illumination, harsh shifting or engine no-start.In some cases, if the cracking occurs on particular solder points or varistors, the engine could stop while the vehicle is being driven.Toyota will notify owners of subject vehicles that they should return their vehicles to a Toyota or…
EA10006 · opened Aug 18, 2010 · closed Sep 16, 2010